Coronavirus in Florida: Town of Palm Beach announces curfew to limit COVID-19 spread

William Kelly @pbtownreporter

Monday

Mar 16, 2020 at 2:55 PMMar 16, 2020 at 4:39 PM

Town said Monday it had declared a state of emergency that "clears the way for decisive actions the town will need to make in the coming days in response to the COVID-19 outbreak."

The Town of Palm Beach has declared a state of emergency because of concerns about the spread of the COVID-19 disease and will impose a curfew to limit social interaction.

The curfew, which begins Tuesday, will run from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m., and will remain in effect until further notice.

RELATED: Coronavirus in Florida: Three new cases in Palm Beach County.

The town’s busy social party circuit, normally at its peak this time of year, has already been grinding to an abrupt halt in recent days because of fear over the virus, which can be spread by people who have symptoms, as well those who have no symptoms and may not realize they have it.

Many of the island’s cultural and civic organizations also have wiped their calendars clean for the rest of this highly unusual season.

RELATED: Palm Beach: Events canceled over coronavirus concerns.

As of Monday afternoon, the Florida Department of Health had reported 137 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state, including eight in Palm Beach County. But reported cases do not reflect actual infection rates, which are assumed to be much higher, the town said.

In a public notice Monday, the town said it has declared a state of emergency that "clears the way for decisive actions the town will need to make in the coming days in response to the COVID-19 outbreak."

The public beaches, Phipps Ocean Tennis Center, Par 3 Golf Course and all Recreation Department programs will be closed to the public starting Tuesday, the town said.

The town is strongly encouraging restaurants to close for seating and provide only delivery or curbside pickup service.

Any private clubs or restaurants, including hotel-based eateries, that do remain open for public seating should limit their capacity to 50 patrons, which is consistent with guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the town said.

Houses of worship are encouraged to cancel all services and programs and provide live streaming services instead, the town said.

Public access to all town buildings will be limited. Town staff can still be reached by phone or email during business hours.

Essential town services including police, fire-rescue, public works and trash collection will continue, Town Manager Kirk Blouin said.

Customers of the Planning, Zoning and Building Department can submit plans in the Town Hall lobby drop box. Simple permit applications can be emailed or faxed to the town.

The Town Docks will remain open for now, the town said.

The town plans to scale back non-essential services, Blouin said.

"As a town government we are looking at all the services we provide and dividing between essential and non-essential and eliminating a lot of that," he said.

The town is taking a proactive stand to help limit the number of new cases to the fullest extent possible, he said.

"As a town government, we got in front of this thing pretty quickly," Blouin said. "We have been holding meetings among department directors every day."

The number of new cases is going to continue to climb, he said. Drastically limiting social contact now can help "flatten the curve," or upward trajectory of new cases that will be reported in the near future, he said.

"It’s important to flatten the curve, not only to prevent and mitigate the spread of the virus, but to keep the numbers at levels which are below the current capacity for the medical community to handle," Blouin said.

Mayor Gail Coniglio said the town’s population is mostly elderly people who are more vulnerable to the virus. For that reason, she said it must err on the side of caution.

"The basis [of this] is to contain any escalation of the virus by maintaining a very prudent approach," she said.